Suva and BearingPoint revolutionize workplace safety with virtual reality

BearingPoint is supporting Suva, Switzerland’s leading accident insurance provider, in developing Swiss Safety VR – a state-of-the-art virtual reality platform delivering highly effective safety training to more than two million individuals insured with Suva.

AMSTERDAM & ZURICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Preventing workplace accidents is essential not only for protecting employees but also for reducing financial and operational risks for companies. This is especially true in the construction industry, where workers face daily exposure to hazards. While safety measures are continuously being improved, Switzerland still records between 260,000 and nearly 300,000 workplace accidents annually – often on construction sites – due to non-compliance with safety protocols, time pressure, or negligence.

A scalable simulation platform with real-life scenarios for safety training

In collaboration with BearingPoint, Suva has developed a cutting-edge training platform incorporating Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (XR). After evaluating the technological potential of these tools, BearingPoint created immersive training scenarios focused on high-risk tasks such as securing heavy loads on construction sites or preventing falls from unprotected areas. This step was crucial in identifying ways to enhance traditional safety approaches. The project team then developed prototypes to demonstrate how immersive technologies can help prevent accidents and convey safety instructions clearly. The platform was also designed to be scalable and user-friendly for a large audience.

Together, BearingPoint and Suva created a comprehensive operating model, a robust technological architecture, and a new end-to-end service offering for the Swiss market called Swiss Safety VR. A growing library of 20-minute interactive VR experiences – illustrating the real-world consequences of unsafe practices or workplace accidents and proving more educational, efficient, and cost-effective than traditional methods – is continuously updated. The team also provided structured support for ongoing process improvement and scenario simulation and facilitated change management through train-the-trainer services, which were critical for integrating the XR platform into Suva’s internal workflows. A key success factor was the strong focus on collaboration. By co-investing in VR safety content with various industry stakeholders – such as Swiss trade associations and major construction companies – the collaboration unlocked significant synergy potential.

Matthias Roeser, Partner at BearingPoint, states:

“Together with Suva, we are using virtual reality to deliver practical and effective workplace safety training. By combining immersive technology with real-life risk scenarios, Swiss Safety VR makes training more engaging, more impactful, and more scalable. This partnership reflects our commitment to innovation: we have harnessed advanced technology to enhance workplace safety while also improving efficiency and controlling costs. By making the platform widely accessible, we are helping raise safety standards across industries.”

Immersive training experiences to enhance workplace safety

The launch of the Swiss Safety VR platform allows companies and their customers to improve their business processes while integrating modern, innovative training and communication techniques into daily operations. This new tool enables a significant improvement of existing training initiatives and supports a seamless transition to fully mobile and immersive training formats. The platform has the potential to greatly reduce the need for on-site workshops, which can lead to substantial time and cost savings. Additionally, participants can retain safety information better than with traditional classroom or e-learning formats.

By offering the content free of charge to all organizations – including Swiss schools – BearingPoint and Suva are democratizing access to high-quality VR training, even for smaller organizations with limited budgets. The platform is available on the Meta Quest 3 headset in Switzerland’s official national languages: German, French, and Italian, as well as English.

Nathanaël Bonvin, Programme Manager for New Technologies at Suva, explains:

“The Swiss Safety VR platform allows us to offer truly engaging and effective training experiences that not only motivate participants but significantly improve safety outcomes. We chose to work with BearingPoint because their expertise and innovative approach were a perfect match for Suva’s commitment to advancing safety training.”

About Suva

Founded in 1918, Suva employs over 4,700 people at its headquarters in Lucerne, across 18 agency locations throughout Switzerland, and in its two rehabilitation clinics in Bellikon and Sion. As an independent public-sector enterprise, Suva insures more than 138,000 companies and over 2.2 million employees against the consequences of occupational accidents and diseases. Unemployed individuals are also automatically insured through Suva. In addition, Suva manages the military insurance and the accident insurance for individuals in disability (IV) programs on behalf of the Swiss federal government. Its services span prevention, insurance, and rehabilitation. Suva operates on a self-financing basis, without public funding, and returns profits to policyholders in the form of lower premiums. The Suva Council includes representatives from social partners – employers and employees – as well as the federal government.

About BearingPoint

BearingPoint is an independent management and technology consultancy with European roots and a global reach. The company operates in three business units: Consulting, Products, and Capital. Consulting covers the advisory business with a clear focus on selected business areas. Products provides IP-driven digital assets and managed services for business-critical processes. Capital delivers M&A and transaction services. In addition, BearingPoint runs the joint venture Arcwide, focused on business transformation and consulting excellence based on IFS.

BearingPoint’s clients include many of the world’s leading companies and organizations. The firm has a global consulting network with more than 10,000 people and supports clients in over 70 countries, engaging with them to achieve measurable and sustainable success.

BearingPoint is a certified B Corporation, meeting high standards of social and environmental impact.

For more information, please visit:

Homepage: www.bearingpoint.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bearingpoint